Foodie In Training

Erik is advancing on his taste in solid foods. He doesn't particular care for the baby mushy food too much and he doesn't really eat three square meals a day. Instead, he eats two solid meals. Once at the day care center as breakfast and Once at home. We tried to get the day care to feed him lunch too but somehow Erik refuses. So I guess he knows his limit.

Anyhow, "Foodie In Training" describes Erik at this point because he loves to eat what we're eating. Over the weekend, Erik sampled some of Daddy's culinary masterpieces such as:

Homemade Waffles

Whole Wheat Bagels

Toasts

Hamburger Buns

Hot Dog Buns

As you can see, Erik is liking the carbs :o) hahaha. He has also sampled Tofu boiled in turkey broth (as you can guess, our left over turkey became soup :-D) and boiled egg yolk. So Erik also likes his proteins, which are absolutely great for him.

We're trying to see what other "finger" foods Erik may like and can handle "chewing" with his 4 teeth :o) hee hee. Maybe little bite size bananas or Avocados?! Mmmm! Mmmm!

Under The Weather AGAIN!

Alright, this is driving Mummy bonkers here! All three of us just recovered earlier last week from an awful cold/flu that took Mummy and Erik out for a solid week. And now....we are sick again! I thought we were getting better!!!! WAH! I hate this time of year!

It doesn't help that Erik now goes to day care and is exposed to germs, bacterias, and viruses. Yes, I know that it will just "help build his immune system" for later on. But really! What the heck happened to MY already established immune system?! It seems to be completely worthless!

As you can tell, I'm just irritated with the fact that I am usually the one to fall ill first in our family and then I infect everybody else. Sigh!! So there's really nothing much we could do except take lots of over the counter medicine to mask the symptoms and just rest. I seriously do hope we get well by Monday! It would be an awfully loooong week if we are not!

As for Erik, he's doing quite well so far. He gets irritated in the middle of the night because its hard for him to breathe and I'm sure his throat is sore if ours are. So he wakes up often at night and demands to be nursed. But in the morning, he's still his happy self and want to cuddle and play.

Black Friday

Day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. is called "Black Friday", since many businesses generates so much Christmas-related sales that their books become black instead of red. For myself personally, I hate this day to do any shopping since the places are generally packed with people and the lines are unusually long. I'd rather stay home instead.

However, by noon, Daddy suggested to hit a couple of stores instead. So we did. It wasn't too bad. We actually got to shop a bit...all for Erik, of course. We have to prepare Erik's First Christmas!! :o) hahaha. Now that we're a family, the holidays seem so much more special, for some reason.

Christmas really isn't one of our all-time holidays even though Daddy grew up in a Christian Brother boarding school. As for Mummy, well, my family was not into the "U.S. Holidays" as much and didn't celebrate it much. But with Erik, it's a completely different story. We can't wait to see Erik's face when we bounce him down the stairs on Christmas morning and see what "Santa" left him since he's been such a good boy this year!! We bought some toys for Erik already and every time Erik passes by, he keeps looking at them wondering what they are?! Hee Hee!

After the light shopping, we decided to visit our long-time friends, Anne and Dave, especially since Erik is quite particular to blondes, and they have two beautiful daughters, Laura (9 years old) and Natalie (2 1/2 years old). :-) hee hee. So Erik can have an impromptu playdate, even though they're older. At first Natalie was not warm to Erik at all and she got a bit jealous when her mom was holding Erik. However, by the end of it, she was ready to have a movie date with Erik! :o) So cute! She actually brought down her Baby Einstein video and demanded that Erik and I sit next to her to watch and then she would scoot herself close to us and wanting to sit on my lap just like Erik. Awwww......would you guys consider this Erik's first date?! hahahah! ....and with an "older woman!".

So it ended a nice and relaxing day for us, as it ought to be! Definitely looking forward to the weekend!

Erik's First Thanksgiving

This year, Mummy and Daddy decided to do the all traditional Thanksgiving dinner, just because it is Erik's first year celebrating it. Daddy researched all over the Food Network web site and Mummy watched a few of the TV shows for some ideas and also asked a couple of friends. However, in the end, it was the Williams & Sonoma Thanksgiving Dinner Menu Recipes that we decided to follow. We were actually quite worried whether we can cook our first Turkey!

We stayed up late the night before cleaning up the place as best we could but we were pretty tired from the week with Erik being in day care and all. So we woke up pretty bright and early and started prepping everything. Daddy was busy chopping, washing, sauteeing, and such since 9am! Dinner wasn't until 6pm but boy did our house spelled so wonderful!

Daddy was our Thanksgiving Hero this year! He made his very FIRST Turkey flavored with Herb De Provence AND White Truffle to be exact! It was absolutely superb!! Mummy and Daddy are NOT Turkey fans what-so-ever as it is usually dry and have no taste. However, with Daddy's hard-work and Grandpa Tom's flavor injecting needle, the Turkey was absolutely yummy!! The juiciest thing ever! The best part was that Erik actually ATE some shredded turkey! It just lit up Daddy's face so much!



We also had some very yummy Garlic & Bacon Mashed Potatoes, Wild Mushroom & Walnut Green Beans with Brown Butter, Maple-Glazed Autumn Vegetables, Basil Crab Cakes (made by Mummy...YAY!), Chinese Sticky Rice (made by Grandma Wai), AND as if that wasn't enough food for only 9 adults, we had maple glazed ham also!. Oh, and for dessert, we hade home-baked Apple Hill's Blueberry Dutch Apple Pie! Man, we definitely need to work out!










We celebrated the holiday with Grandma Wai, Grandpa Tik, a Grand Uncle, and 2 cousins. Of course, we also had Erik's buddy, Austin came over along with Sherry and Oliver.

Erik seemed to enjoy all the excitement and "played" with his 2 cousins a lot. He played with his Grandparents. He got to eat some very yummy turkey so his training of becoming a "Foodie" is progressing very well! We just wished Grandpa Tom, Grandma Katy, and Uncle Penjo were here to celebrate too!! SIGH! However, all in all it was definitely a very special holiday for us! THANKS DADDY!! BIG Hugs and Kisses To You!

Son - you will just have to get used to the fact that your dad is a "stayer"

I think I want to be a “stayer”

According to this article from Blogging Baby – there are two types of parents: those who leave their kids with someone else, and those who don’t.

Both Tab and I try our best – our darndest to be a stayer – even though the post below shows that we have become leavers – as in leaving Erik in the care of someone else – we miss him dearly when we are away from him. But most of the time I think we fall in between category.

I don’t know about Tabitha – but I am a very boring guy of sorts I have never partied or gone out drinking with friends so I don’t miss it (Though there are times when some margaritas just does the trick or a triple shot caramel macchiato). And to the rest of you I did spend a lot of times playing games on my computer – which I have almost totally stopped. There are times when I just want to get on to relax and Erik loves sitting on my lap and hitting the space bar.

So for the moment at this present time in our lives – all I’d rather do is spend as much time with the little guy as I can.

NOTE: I have added a Photo and Video Section (still a work in progress) but I will start to add more of my albums in there.

   

Erik's First "Week" At Day Care

Day 1

Erik survived his first day at day care with flying colors!! All the teachers commented on how well he did and was surprised. So here's a listing of what Erik did for his first day at school. Of course, you can see the video clip too at the previous article.

• Didn't even cry one bit when Mummy & Daddy left him in the classroom all by himself


• Napped twice only at 20 minutes each (compared to his usual 2.5 hours nap)


• Ate some breakfast oatmeal w/ Fruit (actually opened his mouth for the new teachers, while Mummy & Daddy are struggling with him at home!!)


• Got to play with 11 other babies including 2 of his close buddies (Austin & Gabriel)


• Already started some "preference" to a cutie pie teacher, Miss Ashley


• Got to play outside with Mummy & Miriam along with other babies


• Got into his first "playground fight" with....a GIRL!!


• Got into a minor accident on his first day: Bumped his head on the rocking chair! (WAH!!! But Erik's okay, didn't even cry when he bumped it)


• Refused his 3rd bottle of milk and only drank 1oz out of 4.5oz!!


• Was exhausted by the time Mummy picked him up from day care


• Napped for 1 hour once he got home so he could stay awake for dinner


• Went to bed at 8:30pm!! (compared the usual 10:30pm!!)

Day 2

Erik didn't do as well. Maybe the 2nd day is the hardest because Erik has realized that this is a more of a "long-term" situation. Daddy and Mommy brought him in during the morning and he was fine. Mommy left first due to a meeting at work but Daddy stayed for an extra 20 minutes before leaving. However, Mommy was back at lunch time and this was when the breakdown happened.

As I opened the door, the Head Teacher was coming out of the room and told me that Erik refused his first of three bottles! It was still sitting on top of the microwave and at that moment, Erik shreiked and let out a big wail! He was laying on the floor "playing" with another baby near the corner while the lunch crowd was at another corner of the room. I rushed over to pick him and he was just crying and crying. Tears were streaming down as well as boogers pouring out from his nose. Just a total wreck. Mommy's heart just broke right there!!

I wiped down his tears and his boogers and comforted him by rocking and swaying. Talking to him in a calm voice and reassuring him that everything is okay, Mummy is here now. SIGH! Then I tried giving him the milk and at first he refused so I had to nurse him. Afterwards, I tried again, and he wanted to hold the bottle by himself and I helped him guide and tipped. Whew! Erik drank all the milk!! I spent nearly an hour in the infant room and just giving him lots of 1:1 attention and holding him. By the end of it, Erik was ready to get down on the floor and explore again without his Mummy.

A Big Hole in my Heart (trying my best not to be a drama queen)

Erik’s first day at day care… *sniff

First a little history – Chhimi (me) went to boarding school in India when I was in my second grade. I was in boarding school till my twelfth grade. I was not a bad kid as most people think – when they hear the word boarding school – it was just better education or a lack of better education in Bhutan. Anyways before Erik was born – I always told everyone that if I had a boy I would send him back to boarding school in India. And I always laughed at the naysayer – reminding me that I would miss him.

Wow – they were so RIGHT! I remember being left in boarding school – and those first few days were so tough and we would miss our families. But when the tables are turned on to you – the pain of leaving your off spring in total stranger’s hands is just unbearable. I am not a “wussy or a sissy” but when it comes to matters that revolve around my son – I am a pussycat.

They say the babies usually have separation anxiety about 10 thru 12 months – but they don’t ever tell you about the separation anxiety you go through as a parent. This is probably the most difficult thing I have had to do all my life. But Erik is a trooper – he didn’t even seem to miss us while we stood outside the window – looking in to see whether he missed up – but our little guy was too busy playing and observing all the other kids.

Maybe I should just quit my job and spend more time with him. All I know is that I have a big hole in my heart and I miss the little guy a lot.

Daddy misses you Erik “BuBu.”

Episode 1 of Many: Erik's Day at Day Care

Mummy & Daddy's Movie Date Night

Okay, it wasn't really a "date" night for Mummy and Daddy but it was definitely a movie night. So our strategy was to pair off with our friends, Miriam and Matt. The mommies (Tab & Miri) went and saw the new James Bond movie: Casino Royale first while the daddies (Chhimi & Matt) were home tending to the two babies (Gabriel & Erik) AND cook dinner. Alright, it was really Daddy who made the dinner...and a fabulous dinner it was (Drunken angel hair pasta with italian turkey sausage sauce and proscuitto wrapped shrimp with garlic and basil: Thanks to Food Network)! Then the Daddies went for the later movies while the mommies tend to the babies in the evenings.

This strategy had worked very well before with our other friends, Connie & Ed, when their boy was only a baby (Sigh!! He's already 7 years old!) Anyways, the movie night went quite well! Mommy & Daddy both liked Casino Royale and since we are BIG movie fans (Pre-Erik, we went to the movies almost every other weekend!), it wasn't a big deal that Mommy & Daddy didn't get to go see it together, we still got to discuss about it afterwards.

Of course, we'll need to work on a strategy of Group Baby Sitting when the babies are a bit older. That way, Mommy & Daddy can do a real "Date Night" together!!

By the way, during the first 15 minutes of the movie, Mommy was still thinking whether Erik is okay with the Daddies. Sigh!!

Erik Is Missing Grandpa Tom

At least Mummy and Daddy thinks Erik is missing Grandpa Tom. On Friday night, we visited our friends, Connie & Ed since we haven't seen them for such a long time! When we were just chatting away, Connie's Grandpa Yas (aka "Ogigi" in Japanese) came into the sitting room and Erik's eyes just lit up! Don't know if Erik thought Ogigi was like Grandpa Tom or not but he was just all happy to see Ogigi. He wanted Ogigi to hold him and to bounce him up and down. This is oddest thing since Grandpa Yas haven't seen Erik since he was about 3 months old?! Erik was "talking" to him so much. Sigh! So later in the weekend, we made a call to Grandpa Tom in Bhutan so Erik can gab with him and gab he did! :o)

Two More Lil' Buds

Okay, Erik is officially 7 months and 1 week old today and the exciting thing is his upper teeth are coming out! They just peeked out a little today!! Mummy & Daddy were wondering for the past couple of weeks what was going on with Erik's personality. He had been extremely fussy during the late night hours, almost waking up every hour and would cry for a good 5 minutes, and nothing could comfort him. Now, we blame it on the teething process! Sigh!

So this evening, as Mummy and Daddy get ready for Erik's bathtime ritual, as Erik was giggling away, we saw a little white on upper gums! So we felt around and surely, it is there, very tiny little buds peeking from underneath! We just can't believe how fast Erik is really growing and developing! Sigh!!



您好! 這將是我們的第一企圖翻譯我們的文章用中文。愉快的讀。

在7 個月和1 個星期, 德雄(Erik)的上部牙是! 他們少許今天來了在之外!! 在過去二個星期, 媽咪& 爸爸想知道什麼打擾德雄(Erik), 特別是在晚上。他是極端挑剔在夜間期間, 叫醒每個小時和哭泣為5 分鐘。有□什麼能安慰他並且他然後會退回睡著。現在我們知道, 我們責備牙! 今晚, 因為媽咪和爸爸準備好德雄(Erik)的浴並且德雄(Erik)笑, 我們稍微看見了白色在上部膠! 我們感覺並且牙肯定是那裡, 非常微小的小的芽!

Trying Out "School" For Erik

From the title of this post, Mummy and Daddy have decided to enroll Erik into Mummy's work near-site day care center for a while. Grandma Katy is currently in New York, since she hurt her hand/wrist, she needed to see her doctor and as originally suspected by us, it was a very bad sprain. She has been advised not to lift anything heavy for a while. Well, Erik constitutes as heavy! So we didn't want to take a chance with Grandma Katy re-injuring her wrist while taking care of Erik. As a result of all the happenings, we've decided to take this opportunity to enroll Erik into the "school" since they have ONE opening despite the long wait list.

For parents-to-be or for those thinking of becoming parents. Be sure to look into day care options well before hand!! Unless you have a committed loving relative or one of you plan on staying home to take care of baby, a good quality day care center is extremely hard to come by. We've visited a few schools in our area and we were really only comfortable with Mummy's work one and their wait list was extremely long for infants (like a 3 to 4 months wait!) but it was just by pure chance that they had ONE opening for now and that's when we need it.

So our plan is to have Erik in the day care for the next two months (December & January), allowing Grandma Katy to heal her wrist and hand thoroughly. By that time, February will come along and it will be time for us to go home to Bhutan for Erik to meet his Great Grandpa and Great Grandma along with all the Granduncles and Grandaunties. Just in time for Chinese New Year. We are very much looking forward to that trip home!! By the time we come back, Grandma Katy will resume her loving Grandma self and take care of Erik.

It seems to be a win-win trial period. Erik will get to play & learn with his peers, most of his playdates are already in the day care center. He will get a bit of social learnings for the next two months. Grandma Katy gets to rest and spend some quality time with her other son, her sister, and mother in New York. Mummy & Daddy gets to experience what its like to be "on their own".

Of course with that said, Daddy is quite sad to be sending Erik off to "school" for the next two months. Even though Daddy himself went to boarding school since 2nd grade (6-7 years old), Erik is only a little over 7 months so it's hard!! Sigh! More to report next week, it will be Erik's first day at "school".

More Milestones To Report

More to report on Erik's milestones. He has been developing quite fast lately mentally and physically! Sometimes, Daddy and Mummy are just absolutely amazed at how Erik picks up stuff so fast! He is like a sponge, absorbing everything he sees, touches, smells, and much more! (**Note To Self, need to watch what we say in front of Erik, G-rated only**)

Peek-A-Boo
As Mummy likes to refer it as "Peek-A-BuuBuu" since Buu Buu is Erik's nickname and we've been caling him that for a long time. It started recently when Mummy was being silly and decided to call Erik "BuuBuu" and as she was doing this, she would move around the area and Erik would have to "find" Mummy. And tonight, as Daddy placed Erik in his crib (**which he has only slept in for half a night**), Mummy decided to play "Peek-A-BuuBuu" with him. It was the cutest thing as Erik would pull the crib borders down to find Mummy! At first, he didn't know where she was and then he looked and looked and finally found Mummy through the slats of the crib. Then it was off to a giggling game of finding Mummy. We just basically laugh ourselves silly :o).

Hold Himself Up
Erik's legs are quite strong now at 7 months so when he was in the crib, he was also able to hold himself on the edge of the crib and remain standing! This is just amazing to us! He can't even crawl yet but his grip is so strong as well as his little baby legs. And you can tell that Erik is so proud of himself when he can do these things! Sigh! More signs of independence!





Separation Anxiety
Well, Erik definitely has developed separation anxiety recently. Not sure if its because Grandma Katy has taken off suddenly to New York or not. But whenever we leave Erik in the family room, surrounded by his favorite toys, he will start to fuss as soon as we stand up. If we even leave his side for a meer moment to get a diaper or fetch some water, Erik would let his little wail out as if we have abandoned him. We have not! We were just going to be right back, but to him, "right back" is just too long! (**To Erik, Mummy & Daddy would NEVER abandon you, you are our darling son, you can always come to us for anything...and we mean anything! We love you lots!!)

Still Managed To Have Some Fun

Although all three of us are still sick (down with the very bad cold/flu including Daddy!), we still managed to have some sort of outing. Thanks to Daddy's energy level. On Friday when it was Holiday for Daddy, he took Erik to the local lake and hiked on the trail with Erik on our new Kelty pack (Thanks to Russ & Heidi for showing it to us!). It was a good approx. 1 mile walk, not a lot but for being sick, it was pretty good!! Erik got a lesson in nature while Daddy got some exercise.



On Saturday, it was raining and we were hacking and coughing away. So Mommy decided that it was best not to participate in our regular weekend program at UC Davis, in order not to get anybody else's child sick! We elected to stay home for the morning and Mommy made breakfast instead. Erik has not been eating solids very much for the past 3-4 days, don't know if it's because he's sick or he's just being fussy or both. So we were kind of worried. Thank goodness Erik ate a couple spoonfuls of baby oatmeal with apple, banana, and blueberry mixed in.

After Erik's mid-morning nap, Daddy decided that being cooped up in the house has been long enough and promised to take Erik to the local aquarium store. Erik loves looking at fishes. He got a lesson in "sea life". As Mommy & Daddy took turns holding Erik, we narrated what kind of fishes were in the tanks, signed "Fish" & "Turtle" to Erik, and also counted aloud the number of fishes in the tanks. This was the perfect rainy day activity for Erik.

Then, it was off to the local Babies R' Us for some "light" shopping. Mommy & Daddy reminisced that "Pre-Erik", we would've been at the local movie theaters by now watching the latest release. But now, with Erik, its a bit harder to dash to movies since finding a baby sitter is a bit difficult for us (**No Worries We Have a 'Casino Royale' Date set up next week though!!! **) Anyhow, Erik played with a few toys that Mommy & Daddy are considering to get for his first Christmas! (SHHH! Don't Tell Erik!). Erik also played with the Baby Einstein jumperoo at the store.



The store was running their Kiddie Kamera grand-opening special and offered us a FREE 8 x 10 portrait of Erik with NO sitting fee! So Daddy jumped at the chance as Mommy rumaged through the diaper bag for a "cute" outfit. As a result, Erik had an impromptu of Xmas portrait taken. We were good, we only BOUGHT one additional 8 x 10 instead of the freebie! WHEW! Thank goodness we didn't spend a whole bunch of money :o) hahaha

So some how some way, we still managed to squeeze in some fun even though our bodies ache, our noses stuffed, and are coughing away. For our friends and family, if you're sick, please please do not come near us! For those who are healthy, come on over and bring us some dinner okay! :o) hahaha!

Under the Weather

Well, the flu / cold season has officially arrived in our family. Mommy and Erik are sick. Mommy is the weakling here and usually every year, she would get sick first and then infect the family (basically Daddy). It started happening to Erik on Sunday evening when Mommy noticed his breathing was a bit heavier and sounded a little clogged. Mommy on the other hand didn't feel anything until Monday morning where it just kept building up! Sigh! As for Daddy, he may or may not have been infected yet as his immune system is very good!! So he's been taking care of us. Thanks Daddy!! BIG HUGS 4 YOU!




Erik goes to Vote! Sigh! So many decisions to make.

Clapping My Hands

Our little Erik figured out how to clap his own hands today ...on a Sunday afternoon. While Mummy and Daddy were out shopping about and Erik was along with the car ride, he somehow put two and two together and started clapping his hands!! It was just the cutest thing! Mummy also went along and played "Pat-A-Cake" with Erik!! He smiled and clapped along ...with some assistance of course!

Then it was off to the grocery store and Daddy strapped Erik in the Baby Bjorn. During our shopping, Erik wanted to help out and decided to "push" the shopping cart with Daddy too. He is so adorable! Daddy would let of his hands and allow Erik to "push" and "pull" and Erik had the biggest smile on his face!

Sigh! Erik is becoming more independent! We love our little guy!

Starbuck aggresively markets to the next generation

Don't worry, the cup was only filled with filtered water.

Quality Time

Daddy and Mommy are constantly struggling to spend Quality Time with Erik. Time away from him is so much, even though he sleeps 3 of the 9 hours we are away from him. Still, Erik is spending 6 hours without his loving parents Monday - Friday. That is 30 Hours in a week! Of course, during this time, he's with his Grandma Katy who loves him to death and just adores him. However, as parents we wonder if Erik is sometimes bored, especially since Grandma Katy doesn't drive and rarely gets out of the house (even for a neighborhood walk, since its getting chilly now). It's not that she can't drive, she is just isn't comfortable with driving yet in the U.S., especially with Erik in the car!

Are we over analyzing the situation? Erik is only 6 3/4 months old (6 more days and he'll be 7 months old!). Do babies actually get bored? Daddy had bought many different types of toys for Erik to do during his waking hour so he can play and explore to his heart's content, including the much used and loved jumperoo. We also try to make up for the time loss as much as possible so when we get home, we try to muster up all of our energy for our lil' Erik. But we wonder, is this enough stimulation for him? As a result, Daddy and Mommy are discussing about at least part-time childcare for Erik outside of the home. Not for the caring portion but for the social and interaction portion with peers (i.e. other babies).

So I'm going to open this post to our readers. For the parents, what are your general thoughts or experience with your babies? For everybody, what type of creative activities can you guys suggest or come up with that will help little Erik explore and play during the day??

Doing Laundry with Erik